


Whiskey is for Sharing

by nibeul



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: CT-7567 | Rex Needs a Hug, Clone Troopers (Star Wars) Need Hugs, Clone Troopers Speak Mando'a (Star Wars), Drinking, Emotional Hurt, Fluff and Angst, Hurt CT-7567 | Rex, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Sorry, Mando'a Language (Star Wars), Post Episode: s07e12 Victory and Death, Pre-Umbara Arc (Star Wars: Clone Wars), this was meant to be fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:01:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29218404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nibeul/pseuds/nibeul
Summary: The arguing died down when Rex’s voice cut through, and the Captain was met with the faces of three men who looked like tookas that had been dropped into a rancor pit plus a very exasperated Kix who was pinching the bridge of his nose in the corner. It seemed like Hardcase had half-straddled himself over Fives trying to reach his cards with the latter attempting to fend him off while Jesse was… to be honest, Rex had no idea what Jesse was doing. The silence between them spanned for a few seconds with both parties staring at each other before Fives and Hardcase pointed at each other and Jesse raised his hands in surrender. A loud groan from Kix sounded out a beat later, and Rex had to bite his tongue to keep himself from bursting out into laughter right then and there. Chatter erupted once more.“Hardcase started it!”“Did not, you dirty cheat!”“Hey, you guys were both cheating in technicality—““Oh shut the kriff up you no good son of a—”“We were literally made in a lab!!”
Relationships: CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-5597 | Jesse & CT-6116 | Kix, CT-5597 | Jesse & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-6116 | Kix & CT-7567 | Rex, CT-7567 | Rex & Ahsoka Tano, Hardcase & CT-7567 | Rex, No Romantic Relationship(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 57





	Whiskey is for Sharing

_Brothers never drank alone._

Keeli used to say that whenever he and Rex shared stories over a cup of smuggled whiskey in the first months of the war, though it had been repeated amongst other brothers too. Cody adopted it once Keeli was gone, as had Wolffe and Bly, but he’d heard it from Jesse too, and Fives whenever the bastard got his hands on something from the bars. Hardcase had even said it once after sharing his apparently homebrewed rotgut, however, the constant trips to the bathroom the next day had discouraged those involved from trying it again. They should’ve known better than to trust anything that Hardcase made. 

The memory brought a chuckle out of Rex as he skimmed through his most recent report, checking for any errors that might’ve escaped his careful gaze the first time, though he was about ready to wind down for the day. The ruckus from the barracks was enough to tell him as much, and it sounded like the usual culprits were arguing over a game of sabacc once more. He couldn’t help but roll his eyes, gaze flickering over to the door with an amused expression gracing his features before he returned to the datapad once more, tapping away with the nib of the stylus.

The bottle that sat on his desk was a gift from Thorn, at least, according to the chicken-scratch note that had been sitting under it when he entered his personal quarters after a long debrief for their most recent campaign. Thorn’s handwriting had always been shit, something that Rex liked to tease him about, and today was no different—the Captain hummed, setting down the datapad in favor of picking up the note to read it through once more. His brother’s handwriting was the same as always; crude, messy, and barely legible, though it made it all the more endearing he supposed. He turned the half-crumpled note over, flipping it between his pointer and middle finger to read what was written on the back. 

_Sharing’s caring, vod!_ Followed by a shitty doodle of what looked to be Thorn’s helmet. Rex snorted. 

“So that’s what the extra cups are for.” He mused into the emptiness of his quarters, removing himself from the chair he’d been seated on for the past hour or three, or at least, that’s what he thought. The loud crack of his spine and shoulders told him it was probably more than that, and he groaned, rolling his neck a couple of times to send off another series of pops that only came with a severe sense of stiffness after sitting too still for too long. The glint of the bottle sitting in the disheveled brown paper bag caught his eye once more in the dim lighting of his room, and he looked at it before letting out a long-suffering sigh. _Sharing is caring,_ echoed Thorn’s voice in his head _._ He snatched it up by the neck and went to the door. 

“Alright, what are you troublemakers up to this time?” 

The arguing died down when Rex’s voice cut through, and the Captain was met with the faces of three men who looked like tookas that had been dropped into a rancor pit plus a very exasperated Kix who was pinching the bridge of his nose in the corner. It seemed like Hardcase had half-straddled himself over Fives trying to reach his cards with the latter attempting to fend him off while Jesse was… to be honest, Rex had no idea what Jesse was doing. The silence between them spanned for a few seconds with both parties staring at the other before Fives and Hardcase pointed at each other and Jesse raised his hands in surrender. A loud groan from Kix sounded out a beat later, and Rex had to bite his tongue to keep himself from bursting out into laughter right then and there. Chatter erupted once more.“Hardcase started it!”

“Did not, you dirty cheat!”

“Hey, you guys were both cheating in technicality—“

“Oh shut the kriff up you no good son of a—”

“We were literally made in a lab, you _di'kut_!!” 

The pained look Kix sent Rex’s way as the trio bickered nearly had the Captain breaking again, and he coughed into his fist to cover his laugh, though it was a pisspoor attempt based on the medic’s reaction. The other three were oblivious to the current situation anyways, too wound up in their squabbling to even notice the bag that Rex was holding for the time being. It wasn’t until Fives had Hardcase pinned to the floor that the heavy suddenly looked up, his attention diverting from their play fighting to the Captain that was still standing in the doorway where he had been this entire time. 

“Wait. What’s in the bag?” He asked, and that got the attention of Fives and Jesse in an instant. Even Kix looked up from his disappointed stance, an eyebrow ridge raising in question while Rex was suddenly put on the spot. The Captain paused in his chuckling and cleared his throat, holding up the bag and angling it so the rest could see. Based on the way Hardcase and Fives’ expressions lit up, they recognized the bottle almost instantly, and Fives released his death grip on his brother, kneeling over the long-forgotten cards in an attempt to get a better look. Jesse took a bit longer to realize what was going on, though when he did, a grin slowly spread across his face before it fell again for him to ask a question. 

“... I don’t suppose you’re planning on er, sharing that, are you Captain?” He asked, and Rex knew that if Kix had been standing next to him, the Medic would’ve elbowed Jesse in the gut by now. For now, it seemed that Kix just settled for an eye roll and Rex grinned. 

“There are extra cups in here, are there not?” He responded, tossing the paper bag and its remaining contents to Jesse after removing the bottle. His brother scrambled to catch it, nearly dropping the bag when it collided with his chest, and he opened it to find that there were indeed extra cups sitting inside. Fives and Hardcase immediately sprang up to investigate, and even Kix shuffled over to get a look at what was so interesting. Rex hummed to himself, watching them with a smile, and sat on one of the lower bunks while he waited for the group to disperse the cups amongst themselves. Kix looked like he might say something when Jesse shoved a cup into his grip, but after a moment of contemplation, he let out yet another sigh and simply shook his head. 

“You better be saving me one.” Rex commented as they finished up, opening holding out his palm for Fives’s vibrodagger. The ARC trooper fumbled around his belt before producing the deactivated weapon, and Rex used the tip to cut through the seal on the bottle, handing it back once he was done. The top came off with a soft fizzle, and he left it halfway on for a bit before removing it completely. It slipped out easily into his hand, and he tossed it to Hardcase who managed to catch it with his free hand. He held up the bottle, waving it a little as a gesture for the four to come over and take their share. 

“If you don’t hurry up, I just might drink it all myself.” He teased, and that was enough to get Fives and Hardcase into motion with Jesse close on their heels. The Captain unceremoniously filled up each of their cups, and when Kix looked like he might decline, he filled up the Medic’s too. He didn’t need to tell Kix again that it was ok to wind down every now and then—the Medic had heard his pep talk time and time again, so he accepted the whiskey without complaint, tipping his head back to take part of it down in a swig. It was rare that the barracks were this empty with most of their brothers out at 79’s or whatever bar would take them, and so, they were going to take advantage of that for now. Rex didn’t have to ask to know that the small group had stayed behind for him; perhaps the whiskey was a silent bit of gratitude, a _thank you_ he didn’t have to say out loud. They knew, anyways. 

“To an easier campaign.” Fives joked, lifting his styrofoam cup to the ceiling in jest. They all knew the next stop, Umbara, was going to be far from a walk in the park, but it didn’t hurt to pretend for the time being. The rest raised their cups, Rex included, and took a sip. 

“To us.” Rex added after a moment, and he was met with beaming grins. 

Yeah. It’d be alright for now. 

  
  


— — —

Ahsoka had left about a standard hour ago and Rex couldn’t bring himself to get up from his current seat. The crate was uncomfortable, the rugged edges digging into his thighs and calves, and the rain hitting against his poncho did little to help his comfort levels. Despite this, every time he tried to adjust, his legs refused to work with him, and so he remained where he was. He sat there, watching the rain hammer into the ground, his gaze settled on the place where he had last seen her fluttering cloak before she disappeared into the bustling crowd moving across the market. The last place he’d seen his little sister before she’d left him for good.

The split had been necessary. Didn’t make it hurt any less. 

He cradled the bottle in his hands, turning it over by the neck without much thought. The brand was unfamiliar, some strain of Corellian Whiskey, though the quality didn’t matter much to him. If it wasn’t Hardcase’s rotgut, then he supposed it couldn’t be that bad (besides, rations for every meal of the day meant he was used to stomaching far worse). He didn’t even remember why he’d grabbed it, but the shopkeeper had offered it to him and he wasn’t one to say no to a decent bottle of alcohol. Or at least… he hadn’t been when he knew there would be brothers to share it with. 

The cork came off with a loud pop and he took a long swig.

“To us.” He joked in a hollow tone, and when he felt the sting of droplets rolling down his cheeks, well, he figured that’s what he got for sitting out in the rain. 

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> This started off soft and then I couldn't help myself at the end, I'm sorry T-T the title's shitty because I couldn't think of anything else, and there might be mistakes because I did not really comb through when editing, rip. Also, I know that Fives and Hardcase technically met for the first time on Umbara but I am simply ignoring that because this is better.
> 
> Anyways, comments, kudos, bookmarks and all that are very appreciated ^-^


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